Characteristics of soil organic matter of edifisols - An example of techno humus system

The aim of this study was to evaluate the properties of organic matter of soils forming on buildings - edifisols (Isolatic Technosols). Three types of edifisols developed on three different elements of buildings: walls, roofs and in gutters (Poland, Romania) were sampled and analysed. Apart of basic soil properties following parameters were determined in the extracted HA: optic properties in terms of UV-vis light. Absorption coefficients (E2/E4, E2/E6, E4/E6 and Δlog K) of humic acids were calculated from the absorbance in the UV-vis spectral range. The comparison of edifisols in three different locations showed high diversity of organic matter properties. The obtained results revealed that the relatively low degree of humification, predomination of humic acids in the composition of humus and medium stage of HAs maturity can be considered as diagnostic features of the techno humus system.